AMES, Iowa -- The ability of a university enterprise to take
basic research -- anything from computer software to animal
vaccines -- and help develop it into marketable technologies
will be the focus of a Washington, D.C., presentation by Iowa
State University's Center for Advanced Technology
Development.

CATD is being called to Washington to provide insight into
successful technology transfer. The center, which provides
applied research and market direction to ISU inventions to
prepare them for commercialization, will take part in a day-
long open house at the invitation of the House Science
Committee. The briefing will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30
p.m., May 21, in room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office
Building.

The Science Committee is exploring successful technology
transfer strategies and how to apply them to federal agencies
with scientific bases, such as the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense and
the Department of Energy. The event will include displays and
a presentation to explain CATD's approach, and highlight its
successes to Congressional members, federal agency
administrators and other interested parties. A brief program
with comments on technology transfer, hosted by Congressman
Jim Lightfoot of Iowa's 3rd district, will begin at 11
a.m.

"We are delighted that the Center for Advanced Technology
Development is being given the chance to show what they do,"
said Iowa State President Martin Jischke. "It's not
surprising that there would be interest by government
agencies in the CATD approach to technology transfer because
it has worked so well over the past several years."

CATD, formed in 1987, has been a leader in technology
transfer at ISU. The center takes promising research
conducted at ISU and the Ames Laboratory (a Department of
Energy facility at ISU) and funds additional work to make it
more appealing to industry. The goal is to bring a technology
far enough along so that the gap between research and
commercial product is as little as possible.

"CATD has been highly successful at identifying basic
university research with commercialization potential and
turning it into market-ready technology," said Joel Snow,
director of ISU's Institute for Physical Research and
Technology.

Currently, CATD is engaged in 48 projects. In the nine years
it has existed, CATD has played a role in the
commercialization of 70 ISU technologies. These technologies
have been licensed to 60 companies in 15 states.

The technologies include:

-- a human body software system for computer animation, which
is being offered by Engineering Animation Inc., Ames, a fast-
growing startup company;

-- powder technology for making heat dissipation devices that
will help make possible the miniaturization of the next
generation of computers;

The Center for Advanced Technology Development is a member of
the Institute for Physical Research and Technology, a
federation of research, technology development and technology
transfer entities at Iowa State University.

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Editors:

Lisa Kuuttila will be traveling on Monday, May 20. She can
be reached at her Washington, D.C., hotel at 202/479-
4000